Several housing projects on the move in Ventura

In the months ahead, several units of affordable and special-needs housing will be heading to Ventura. Mobile homes will be given much-needed improvements, the Westpark Community Center will get some upgrades and more business loans will become available for entrepreneurs.

The projects have one thing in common: All will be helped by the city’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Home Investments Partnerships (HOME) Program. On Monday night, the City Council voted to distribute nearly $940,000 in CDBG money and $305,850 in HOME money. Both are pots of money expected to eventually come to the city in that amount from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

All but a handful of the more than 20 CDBG requests received money, though several got less than they sought.

Of the five HOME requests that came in, two initially received no funding, including one called Castillo del Sol proposed by the San Buenaventura Housing Authority.

That changed after the council heard from several proponents of Castillo, a proposed development of 40 units for those with special needs and seniors in midtown. The project is proposed at the former Ban-Dar honky tonk site at Main Street and Central Avenue.

Among the development’s supporters were Jim Nye, who approached the podium along with two of his children, John and Frances.

John Nye, 18, talked about his upcoming gig, possibly at Anacapa Brewing Company, and with the help of his dad (who finished speaking for the shy John), promised the council to go to school if Castillo were built.

Frances Nye shared of having a spot where she could host friends and family members.

“I would someday like to live in one of these places so I can be independent and feel safe and be able to trust people,” said the 17-year-old, who spoke from her wheelchair.

The authority received a combined $450,000 for two other projects — $315,000 to buy and convert one unit at 1300 Saratoga Ave. for affordable housing and $135,000 to acquire and rehabilitate a multi-unit property at 1155 Olive St.

That prompted city officials to ask Chief Executive Officer Denise Wise whether Castillo might be able to get money from one of those projects.

Doing so would be a “detriment to those projects,” Wise said.

Rather than tying the money to those two specific projects, City Council member Christy Weir suggested giving the authority the $450,000 and letting the agency “divide it as they see fit.”

Wise said whether the money for the two projects could stretch to three would depend on a couple of factors.

“There are a couple of moving parts,” she said.

That determination on which projects will proceed and how that will be accomplished ultimately will be made between the city and authority, but Wise was glad for the flexibility the motion offered.

The other organization to receive a HOME grant was Turning Point Foundation. The nonprofit received $300,000 for a 10-unit residential complex for homeless, mentally ill veterans.

As part of her motion, Weir also requested the staff look into how CDBG funds are distributed in the future.

The program originally was intended to fix up poverty-stricken neighborhoods and improve features such as sidewalks and parks, she said.

Weir directed the staff to look at public works projects and parks improvements such as these, starting with the next round.

“It’s become more of a community nonprofit-funding mechanism, which wasn’t really the intent of it, and that’s really great and we’ve been able to do that,” Weir said after the meeting. “But it’s important we keep an eye out on what the original intent was and kind of move toward that.”

Weir said that didn’t mean nonprofits couldn’t apply for funding in the future, but she wants to emphasize what gets “the biggest bang for our buck in terms of a communitywide effort.”

The motion awarding the federal grants, with Weir’s changes, was approved 5-2 with council members Neal Andrews and Carl Morehouse dissenting. Both voted against the measure because they wanted to discuss in more detail the CDBG grants.